By Larry Barszewski
Widening the Boynton Inlet and replacing its fixed-span bridge on State Road A1A with one that opens should be a goal of Boynton Beach and neighboring coastal communities, city commissioners suggested during a March 26 workshop on the city’s comprehensive plan.
Vice Mayor Thomas Turkin said that while a slew of agencies at the federal, state and local level would need to be part of such an undertaking, the projects are important for the city’s future.
“Advocating for that to be an unfixed bridge, I think is a huge opportunity, not just for marine tourism, but also looking at property values, what that would do for the city of Boynton Beach” in the downtown and along the waterfront, Turkin said.
Commissioner Aimee Kelley said she, too, sees the inlet issue as important to be included as the city updates its comprehensive plan, which serves as a guide to the city’s future goals.
The inlet, though widely used by boaters, was designed to flush out the Intracoastal Waterway and not for navigation. It is not maintained as a federal channel and is considered dangerous.
The city needs to figure out “what we can do to enhance it and make it more usable and more safe,” Kelley said. “A lot of our Ocean Rescue is due to that inlet and it being very difficult to traverse.”
City staff said there would also be environmental benefits to widening the inlet — officially named the South Lake Worth Inlet — including for water quality purposes.
The discussions were just that, with no specific plan developed yet for moving forward. The comments are expected to be included as staff finalizes the draft update of Boynton Beach’s comprehensive plan, which will then be sent to the state. A public hearing will be held by the city before its adoption.
“I think that is extremely important because there has been discussions I believe with other municipalities that are advocating for this,” Turkin said of inlet improvements. “So, the squeaky wheel gets the oil. I want to make sure we try to be as squeaky as possible.”
Back in 2009, a special Boynton Inlet Committee looked at the very same issues. The City Commission at the time voted to adopt the committee’s recommendations to keep things as they are and bypass other options, which had included widening or deepening the channel, ebb shoal dredging, shifting the south jetty and replacing the A1A bridge over the inlet.
Engineers had warned that widening or deepening the inlet would lead to greater flooding of property along the Intracoastal from storm surge.
Although the committee at the time didn’t advocate any long-term structural changes, its members favored erecting more signs letting boaters know about dangerous conditions in the Boynton Inlet.
The bridge is currently undergoing a $579,000 improvement project by the Florida Department of Transportation. The project includes “repairing, painting, and sealing the bridge, sidewalks, railings, and sea wall to strengthen the structure and extend its lifespan,” according to FDOT.
The work is adding non-slip surfaces on the bridge deck and sidewalks to improve safety for both drivers and pedestrians.
The project began in January and is expected to be completed by the summer.
The current bridge opened in 1975 and state reports list it in “fair” condition.
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